Gabriel Beristain

Luis Gabriel Beristáin is a Mexican cinematographer, producer, and television director.
He is an active member of both the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

Early life

Beristain was born in Mexico City, the son of actor Luis Beristáin. His interest in filmmaking began with his involvement in Mexico's independent film scene in the seventies. He studied Engineering at the Instituto Politécnico Nacional, and later joined a new film studies program at the school, while also producing audiovisual training materials for the health department.
Beristain had a son born in 1980 who lived in Austria and died 2000.
After filming a number of documentaries, he founded a small commercial production company, before moving to Italy in 1977. At the recommendation of director Sergio Leone, he relocated to the United Kingdom, where he enrolled in the prestigious National Film and Television School, which accepted only 25 students a year. He was one of only five foreigners to be accepted into the school, and studied cinematography under Oswald Morris and Billy Williams.

His first feature film as cinematographer was the 1983 Colombian horror film Bloody Flesh, for which he won the Best Cinematography Award at the Bogotá Film Festival. His work on Derek Jarman's 1986 film Caravaggio earned him a Special Silver Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival. Beristain was one of several cinematographers on the 1987 anthology film Aria, which was nominated for a Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Allen Daviau suggested he move to Hollywood, where he could apply his talents and unique insight into both Mexican and Anglo cultures. Beristain has been a member of the British Society of Cinematographers since 1990, and the American Society of Cinematographers since 2002.
While working in 2003's S.W.A.T., Beristain became friends with executive producer Louis D'Esposito, who after helping form Marvel Studios invited Beristain to do additional photography for Iron Man. He wound up in the same function in six other Marvel Cinematic Universe films, and also served as cinematographer for the D'Esposito-directed Marvel One-Shot short films Item 47 and Agent Carter, as well as the television series Agent Carter. Beristein would eventually have his first feature for the studio as cinematographer in 2021's Black Widow.

Television

Year	Title	Notes
1996	Hidden Empire: Calling London	TV movie; Also writer
2017–2019	MacGyver	3 episodes
2010	Hawaii Five-0	Episodes "When the Light Goes Out, the House is Dark" and "A stranger only for a day"
2022	Eleven Days in Hell	Pilot episode

Short film

Year	Title	Director	Notes
1987	Aria	Bill Bryden	Segments "Turnadot" and "I pagliacci"
2010	Ka'iulani: Crown Princess of Hawai'i	Roy Tjioe	Documentary short
2012	Item 47	Louis D'Esposito	Marvel One-Shots
2013	Agent Carter	Louis D'Esposito	Marvel One-Shots
2021	You'll Be Happy Here	Brenda Victoria Castillo

Miniseries

Year	Title	Director	Notes
1987	Lost Belongings	Tony Bicât
1988	Troubles	Christopher Morahan
1991	The Orchid House	Horace Ové
2025	Washington Black	Wanuri Kahiu Maurice Marable Rob Seidenglanz	4 episodes

TV series

Year	Title	Director	Notes
1998	I'm Telling You for the Last Time	Marty Callner	TV special; Sequence "The Funeral"
2010	Hawaii Five-0	Len Wiseman	Episode "Pilot"
2012–2013	Magic City	Carl Franklin Ed Bianchi Simon Cellan Jones Nick Gomez Clark Johnson David Petrarca	11 episodes
2014	The Strain	David Semel Peter Weller	4 episodes
2015	Agent Carter		Season 1
2016–2018	MacGyver		22 episodes
2022	Monarch	Jason Ensler	Episode "Stop at Nothing"